Ice cream production at Nashville, Tenn.-based Purity Dairies will shift to other cities in the southeast region beginning Dec. 5, resulting in 19 job losses and the end of a local tradition - Purity’s tours showing how ice cream is made, according to a report at Tennessean.com.

Tours of milk production will continue, and availability and prices of Purity ice cream products will remain the same, the company reported.

Purity ice cream operations will move to other locations of parent company Dean Foods in Tennessee and Alabama. The remaining 535 employees in the freezer and sales and distribution areas are not affected by the move.

Dean Foods is attempting to leverage its national scale, reduce costs and make the company more competitive in the marketplace, said Ellen Barry, spokeswoman for the Dallas-based processor. Employees affected by the production shift will be offered severance pay and benefits extensions as well as professional assistance for those seeking jobs, Barry said.

“Purity has been blessed by the long-standing support of Middle Tennesseans, and we remain deeply committed to supporting our community,” said Mark Ezell, president of Purity Dairies.